LAUSD offers students facing homelessness free, new clothing at district boutiques

The Los Angeles Unified School District has five new clothing boutiques offering students facing homelessness a chance to shop for new clothes, for free.

Monday, LAUSD Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho and other district leaders celebrated the opening of the district's fifth boutique at 28th Street Elementary School. Neatly folded jeans, sized shirts and jackets, as well as boxes of shoes, were ready for the picking.

The district said this is yet another approach to address student absenteeism, giving students facing homelessness dignity, confidence, and care.

Carvalho referred to the growing number of homeless students. "From the '23 school year to the '24 school year, we saw a 26% increase in the number of students experiencing homelessness. In 2023, there were 13,600 LAUSD students who were homeless and in 2024, that number grew to over 17,000 students," Carvalho said.

Funding for the shops comes from the federal government under the American Rescue Plan.

"We have made about $1.7 million dollar investment across different areas in the community to ensure that children have access to basic needs, such as clothing," Carvalho said.